Recording: Modern Superstitions

Artist: Modern Superstitions

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at "Garage in the Garage" Party, July 3, 2011.

Modern Superstitions - unknown

My notes for this set can be found here.

^* I suspect that the title to this one will have "Runaround" in in somewhere. Please leave a comment if you know the name for sure.

Gig: "Garage in the Garage" Party

"Garage in the Garage" Party (feat. B-17 / "Matt Murphy's Band Jams" / Modern Superstitions)

The Garage on Dora. Sunday, July 3, 2011.

After a long day at Pride — which, as always, seems to be on the hottest day of the year — I still had enough energy to head over to Blansdowne for this affair. Billed as a "Garage in the Garage" party, the name was only slightly a misnomer. The private residence hosting the show did indeed have a garage door in the front opening into the living room, but it was a cozy home inside, not an oil-stained car hole. As the solid heat of the day dissipated, it started to feel rather pleasant out and there was a nice crowd gathering, spilling out onto the sidewalk. There was even some tasty jerk chicken on offer. The bands were set up at the back of the living area, facing out toward the open garage door, playing through a jury-rigged sound system that was, natch, a little rough. The vocals would be low all night, but there was a rawness appropriate to the spirit of the event.

After seeing B-17 make their début just a week previously, there wasn't much new to report for the band's second flight. The newly-minted Optical Sounds supergroup offered the same seven tunes as at the Dollar, filled with a raucous, joyful fury. In their early going, there was a lot more undiluted Stooge-y Raw Power in their approach, especially in Calvin Brown's scorching fuzzed-out wah-wah. And in the small, enclosed space Nick Kervin's drums felt quite powerful.

"Never Understand" (one of the tunes which does not appear on the band's recent EP) was a highlight here. And once again there was the proto-version of "Wishing Won't Make It So" without the title and lyrics yet in place. Although bassist Clint Rogerson didn't yet have the vocal hook to really clinch the song it was already constructed to serve as the set-closing freakout — it was modestly notated as "4800 lbs of Bombs" on the setlist.

Listen to a track from this set here.

The middle set was billed as "Matt Murphy and his mysterious, XFactor unnamed band" — and mysterious they have remained. There doesn't seem to be any information that I can wrangle up on this, so I don't know if this is an ongoing project. Similarly, I was hoping the identity of the drummer and bass player would come to light, but I haven't been able to dig that up either.¹ (This has been edited nearly a decade after the fact (!) to note that the band was, in fact, Ian McGettigan from Thrush Hermit on bass, and Mike Leblanc from Rick of the Skins on drums.)

At any rate, it was something rather different from Murphy, more known for his poppy sensibility and occasional country leanings. Instead, this felt more like he decided to form his own private Elevator, with a bit of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and hints of krautrock, though with a garage rock beat instead of the insistent motorik drive.

The first song, an instrumental, featured sawtooth analog synth set against a soothing, melodic guitar riff. The drummer (who was also handling the synth) took the first vocal and Murphy the next. The vox were often a little indistinct, or in the case of one song toward the end, simply wordless "aw-woaaahs". The songs were a little amorphous, as if they were being deliberately kept closer to loose jams, Murphy shouting out chords and other instructions as each began.

One definitely got the impression that these were still works-in-progress. As such, no surprise that a couple meandered a bit too much and sometime staggered over the finish line. I don't know if this was just a casual lark that emerged from the rehearsal space or a project that didn't attain liftoff, but this was a fun little set regardless.

Listen to a track from this set here.

As it got later into the evening, the neighbourhood didn't seem scandalized by the rock'n'roll show going on in their midst — in fact, I could spot people in the midrise condos across the way sitting on their patios and listening to the show from above. The night was closed out by Modern Superstitions, a band that has been around for long enough that it always takes a moment to remember they're still just getting started. Their long-gestating début album was only released a couple months ago, and the band clearly spent a lot of time deliberating upon what sort of sound they wanted to present on it.

In so doing, they actually wrote a lot of songs beyond what ended up on the album, giving them a chance to tailor their setlist to the sort of show they were playing — I know they had several of the quieter songs that would make their album in their repertoire at this point, but for this show they foregrounded their garage side, kicking it out as rough and ready as I've ever seen them. A cover of The Damned's "New Rose" gave a hint of where their heads were at, and the punkish, raw edge served them well.

It certainly seemed to energize vocalist Nyssa Rosaleen, who was the most animated I'd ever seen her — as if acting out the advice ("SOCK IT TO ME") printed on her sleeveless shirt. That compensated for the fact that her vocals were buried below Matthew Aldred's slashing guitar.

"String To The Sun", received its first airing in this set, coming off much rawer than the album version — in fact, comparing the sophistication of the finished product to what the band was playing here gives a good indication that this is a band that has larger aspirations than playing in a garage. And while I'm one who tends to approve of a rawer sound with the rough edges intact, if the trade-off is more polished gems like, say, "Bandits", than that's a promising deal.

Listen to a track from this set here.

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¹ I asked Murphy after if the group had a name, and he said, I believe, that it was "Band Jams", but I was never 100% sure of that, and even though he repeated the name, I could have misheard him in the party-ish surroundings. I didn't want to be the gauche dude repeatedly shouting at him, "Did you say band jams?" So for now, I am tentatively identifying this as "Matt Murphy's Band Jams".

Recording: Modern Superstitions

Artist: Modern Superstitions

Song: No Shame

Recorded at NOW Lounge (No Shame All-Ages matinee), March 26, 2011.

Modern Superstitions - No Shame

My notes for this set can be found here.

Gig: No Shame All-Ages Matinee

No Shame All-Ages Matinee (feat. Army Girls / Modern Superstitions / Ruby Coast)

NOW Lounge. Saturday, March 26, 2011.

Following up on their look into the somewhat-underwhelming state of all-ages shows in T.O., NOW decided to be a part of the solution by turning over the Lounge on the ground-floor of their offices over to No Shame's Lauren Schreiber for an afternoon show. As I followed the signs chalked on the Church Street sidewalks into the Lounge, the show was a prima facie success, the room filled with kids of, um, all ages ranging from enthusiastic young'uns bounding underfoot to broody, Beib-coiffed tweens sullenly slouching in the booths along the walls. And on stage, I Eat Kids were probably closer to the young end of the spectrum. Representing for the ten-and-under demographic, the band's enthusiasm was so awww-inducing it was easy to overlook that they were playing songs they wrote at a pretty proficient level. Proud dad Tim Vesely (Violet Archers, ex-The Rheostatics) beamed happily at the side of the room, while a lot of friends danced around up front.

Some of that younger contingent (and their parents) slipped away after that, but there was still quite a mix on hand as rock duo Army Girls took the stage. The all-ages enthusiasm of vocalist/guitarist Carmen Elle (who noted, "I've been playing since I was fifteen") was quite apparent. Backed by drummer Andy Smith, the pair played tunes from their slim but potent songbook.

Out of breath after a churning take of "The Power", Carmen Elle commented, "when I was younger, that was easier to do." But when the sitting row of small-fry taking in the set from right up front started an organized back-and-forth wave during "Cold and Alcohol", she certainly still had enough energy to hop over and lean right up to them, happily hamming it up without missing a lick on her guitar. The set included the five songs that would later end up on the Close to the Bone EP as well as the equally-worthy "Guts".

Listen to a track from this set here.

It had been almost a couple years since I'd crossed paths with Modern Superstitions — they weren't even modern yet — but it seemed like they'd used their time well. They were a fairly taut unit back then, but now were also sounding more snappy — like a switchblade in the pocket of a leather jacket, sharpened and polished.

Vocalist Nyssa Rosaleen delivers with her strong voice, but still isn't super-animated on stage. Or perhaps excess flash just isn't the band's style — the best thing here might be a rock-solid rhythm section (Harry Burgess on bass and Ben Reinhartz on drums) that impresses with coiled potential more than kinetic pizazz. And guitarist Matthew Aldred still exercises a deadpan wit between songs.

All of which is to say there something pleasantly subtle about the band's delivery, a late-night vibe that was a bit at odds with the bright afternoon setting. "This next song is called 'School Days'. That's appropriate," commented Rosaleen, looking down the length of rectangular room, and commenting, "though the children have mainly left." ("Inappropriate!" shouted Aldred.) After the driving "No Shame" (titled, as the band took pains to point out, as a tribute to Lauren Schreiber, who supported the band and put them on her bills many times) they eased back for a couple slower ones, a nice change of pace before tearing back to close out the set.

Sunbleached, their debut full-length, is now near release¹ so I reckon we'll be hearing more about this band soon. After their set, they had some of the show's young patrons sidle up to ask 'em for autographs, so you can take that as a positive sign.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Proudly hailing from Aurora (or at least not taking pains to conceal their hometown), Ruby Coast was playing songs from their then-just released Whatever This Is.² Currently a core three-piece (guit/keyb/drums) playing with a bassist, the band led with the energetic "Stability" and slightly more addled "Dr.Acula".³

I have nothing bad to say about the band. They're a little yelpy for my taste, and maybe slot a little too easily into whatever cubbyhole you keep your Born Ruffians/Tokyo Police Club albums, which is admittedly not my thing.

Still, thanks to Keith Bradford's keyb work, there's an interesting commitment to atmospherics underlying the songs, and there's no doubt they're solid performers on stage — even managing to enlist some audience participation from the teenaged boys who moved up front to see them. Plus, I did appreciate that not everything was jammed into to a narrow musical spectrum, with stuff like "Liza Liza" slowing down the pulse a bit. Despite their album's newness, they even had some new material to present, and that was some of the stuff I liked the most.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Besides the ennobling notion of loading the heads of the next generation with good music before all the mersh crap can take root, I like all-ages shows because you're done efficiently early. In this case, with plenty of time before dinner and, um, the evening's rock'n'roll show. Having made their point, we'll see if NOW takes any further steps to help foster more shows like this in town.

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¹ You can hear some songs off it on their soundcloud.

² The album is available for free at their bandcamp.

³ Am I the only one who thinks it would be kinda awesome if Drew Smith did a cover of this?

Recording: The Superstitions

Artist: The Superstitions

Song: Natural Light

Recorded live at the Whippersnapper Gallery, Toronto. Over the Top Festival, May 23, 2009.

The Superstitions - Natural Light

My notes for this gig are here.

Gig: Tiny Masters of Today / The Superstitions / Windom Earle / The Paint Movement

Tiny Masters of Today / The Superstitions / Windom Earle / The Paint Movement

Over the Top Festival. Whippersnapper Gallery. May 23, 2009.

Decided to take in the early show at the Whippersnapper, and walked in just as The Paint Movement were preparing to unleash. A six-piece with most vox from five-stringed bassist Jason Haberman, there were also a couple vocals from guitarist Kevin Kralik, who looked meaner but sang softer. The whole thing was tied together by Jason Loftman's sax work. I had a vision of long tracking shot over the credits of a movie from 1983 — palm trees lining a highway under a pastel sunset, the camera moving along with the traffic, until suddenly lifting up and away. Which is to say there is a certain lush, cocaine elegance to this music. Perhaps a more literal point of comparison/departure would be to imagine outtakes from Chicago V as filtered through, say, BSS' "Pacific Theme" or through the sunnier pop side of The Sea and Cake and you're on the right track. Live, the half-dozen tunes had a nice widescreen feel and the band arguably deserved a bigger crowd than were out for the first act up at an early gig.

A track from this set is posted here.

The stage seemed roomier once Windom Earle (from Halifax) were set up as they took down the drum kit to give an unobstructed space to project their vidoes behind them. Dual synths, guit, bass and some sax. The band had obviously put a great deal of work into their visuals, which were well synced with their rhythm tracks — one song used footage of a dude air drumming in his living room tightly edited to match the song's beats. Musically, a little bit of Devo in their lineage, maybe some Six Finger Satellite, but also something of the "aerobics rock" of Go Team! — perhaps also recalling them in the way that many of these songs sounded like they could be the soundtracks to the car crashin' b-movies they were sampling images from. As I was mulling all of this over a couple songs in, and wondering if the band would be as interesting without their projector, a couple women arriving in the venue threw down their jackets, leapt in front of the stage, and started to shang-a-lang like they were at a sock hop. I thought to myself, "maybe I'm enjoying this on the wrong level." The (mostly instrumental) songs had enough going on to keep them interesting, and they did have a danceable vibe, so although this didn't totally win me over, I have no complaints. After all, you can never totally dismiss a band willing to take their pants off onstage.

After the previous night's festival of guitar pedals, it was a refreshing change to see a band with a more pared-down set up and less patch chords between guitar and amp. The Superstitions, looking like three lads who'd met up at the soda fountain, played an — um — leggy brand of garage pop, fronted by the magnetic Nyssa Rosaleen. Filled with youthful energy, the band tore through a set of short sharp rockers filled with clear tones and good songwriting. Bonus points to guitarist Matthew Aldred, who responded to all of Nyssa's banter with a slightly wearied "yeah", as if he were anguished for the talking to end and the song to start. An unexpected treat and very much worth seeing.

A track from this set is posted here.

Having thought that The Superstitions looked a little youthful, I was given a burst of perspective seeing Tiny Masters of Today. Fronted by brother and sister duo Ivan (guitar, vox; age 15) and Ada (vox, bass; age 13), the band are already vets, now on their second album and with plenty of press. While the idea of raucous teen siblings forming a band isn't unprecedented, their success so far is pretty substantial. A band like this comes with a bit of trouble separating the angle ("aren't they adorable?"¹) from the music. Truth be told, if I were taking in the gig in a blindfold test, I would think I'd've found it generally agreeable. With Ada on the mic and Ivan's skilfully sloppy riffs, the first thing that would pop in my mind would be that sort of sub-sub-genre of mid-90's female-fronted bands that sounded like Kim Deal's wayward daughters — think that dog or Veruca Salt. Their sound had a decent level of wobbly uncertainty, which the songs delivered in short, chunky bursts — though things threatened to go off the rails a couple times. But there's no lack of talent here, and their set was enjoyable fun. Made me feel older than my Great Aunt Martha mind you, especially when, for their last song they blasted a cover of Sonic Youth's "Youth Against Fascism", a song that came out, like, subjectively last week or so to me, but is, in fact, older than those performing it on stage. I rolled up the bottom of my trousers and moved along to the next gig.

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¹ As pronounced by someone standing behind me while the band were setting up and Ivan was adjusting his amp. "Excuse me, Mr. Soundman?" asked Ada politely into her mic, "is the volume okay?"